CO Tip Functionalization Inverts Atomic Force Microscopy Contrast via Short-Range Electrostatic Forces

We investigated insulating Cu$_2$N islands grown on Cu(100) by means of combined scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy with two vastly different tips: a bare metal tip and a CO-terminated tip. We use scanning tunneling microscopy data as proposed by Choi et al. [T. Choi et al., PRB 78, 035430 (2008).] to unambiguously identify atomic positions. Atomic force microscopy images taken with the two different tips show an inverted contrast over Cu$_2$N. The observed force contrast can be explained with an electrostatic model, where the two tips have dipole moments of opposite directions. This highlights the importance of short-range electrostatic forces in the formation of atomic contrast on polar surfaces in non-contact atomic force microscopy.

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